


trouble falls like rain (lately its been pouring down)

by justlarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anorexia, Dancers, Eating Disorders, M/M, slight homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-07 01:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlarry/pseuds/justlarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Harry are dancers. There's a lot of stress in being a dancer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	trouble falls like rain (lately its been pouring down)

**Author's Note:**

> One of my new year's resolutions is to post a new oneshot every month at least so hopefully I'll be able to that.
> 
> Thank you so much Linn (arkflikka) for supplying me with the amazing ideas and help and just being amazing.

Louis remembered his childhood. His father had always pushed him to try out for the rugby and cricket teams, like a boy should, but Louis was a disappointment in the sport area. He preferred the arty side of things. Dance, drama and design. That was Louis' speciality. His father hated him for it. Hated the fact that he had a son doing ballet and drama. Louis tried his best to do sport at the beginning, but it didn't fit. He didn't have the right body structure or the muscle to get into any of the teams. So dancing was finally accepted by his family, after much consideration. What his father didn't realise at the time was that dancing was something Louis wanted to do for the rest of his life. Ballet, contemporary or interpreted. It was his dream. So when Louis announced he wasn't going to university but instead, applying to the most prestigious dance academy in the UK, his father threw a plate on the floor. In his eyes dancing was not a viable career, it didn't earn money. How was he supposed to support a wife and kids with a meagre salary of a dancer. Coincidentally this was the day Louis came out to his family. Following that, he was kicked out. He hadn't as much as spoken to his family in nearly four years. But he applied to the dance academy and after months of torturous auditions and waiting, he was accepted. He found a shitty apartment in the outskirts of the city and he lived on two part time jobs and the occasional dance show. 

 

Harry, however, had lived a completely different life, which was surprising taking into account the similarities between the two boys. He grew up in a loving family who accepted he was gay and loved him the same. They accepted he would much prefer to dance than kick a ball around. The only point they were hesitant over was his choice to not go to university. Harry was a smart boy, capable of earning a high salary at an important job, and not going to university, pursuing a dance career instead seemed dangerous. But they could not talk him out of it. Harry knew that dancing was the only thing he really wanted to do in his life. So when he was accepted he bought a rather more upmarket apartment in the city centre and lived on his bank account. 

 

Harry and Louis met on the first day of auditions. They were put into lines opposite each other and they happened to be partners. Louis was in awe of Harry's physique from that moment onwards. The way that even with broad shoulders, he managed to have an air of delicacy around him. Harry wasn't so much interested in Louis' physique, it was his face. The sharp cheekbones and jawline, the caramel hair and the eyes. The eyes that Harry could pick out so easily. That was when it all started.

 

From the first day of rehearsal for their first spring show Louis and Harry were inseparable. They spent all their breaks together and walked home afterwards. So it wasn't surprising when Harry finally built up the courage to ask Louis out on a date. They went for dinner, a French place on the high street, too expensive for Louis to pay, but Harry didn't even ask him to split the bill. They walked back to Louis' together and shared both of their first kisses on the stairs outside his door. 

 

It was September things began to crack. Louis and Harry were very much in new found love having been together for 5 months. It wasn't their relationship that was under stress. Louis, though, was too stressed for words to express. Harry had tried to take it all away, tried to help him, but there was nothing he could do. Louis wouldn't so much as talk to him anymore, and Harry couldn't help but be worried. The truth was, Louis hadn't been telling Harry something. About two weeks before, Louis was called into the dance instructor's office. He sat there for nearly an hour, listening to him point out every flaw in Louis' dancing. Then came the real punch in the stomach.   
"I've noticed also that you have been weighing in quite high, I'm going to need you to control that. Diets, more exercise anything just to lose that tummy of yours. It's not exactly appealing to an audience. That is all."  
"Okay."

 

It wasn't that Harry didn't notice. He noticed every little change in Louis' demeanour. The way he pushed the food around the plate before eating a mouthful. The way he stopped eating anything with too many calories. The way he refused to go out for dinner, preferring to stay in. Harry noticed it all, but it didn't seem to all connect in his mind. That is, until he came home early from his private rehearsal and found Louis in a rather compromising position over the toilet bowl.  
"Louis?"  
It was barely a whisper, but Louis heard it. His head slowly lifted from the toilet, but he didn't dare meet Harry's eyes.   
"Please tell me it's the flu, Louis, please."  
Louis was silent, but it was enough for Harry to understand what had got him so stressed over the past weeks.  
"Let's get you cleaned up, then we can talk about it."  
Louis brushed his teeth and followed Harry to the table in the kitchen.  
"Is this why you didn't want to go out for dinner?"  
"Yeah."  
"Louis, why? Why on earth would you do this to yourself?"  
"Some of us can't have the perfect physique."  
Louis said this quietly, not letting Harry hear.  
"Louis, what did you say?"  
"I said some people can't have the perfect physique! Some people have to work to look good enough! Some people aren't perfect upon being born! Some people aren't like you!"  
Harry was surprised at Louis' outburst. He had never so much raised his voice around him, let alone at him.  
"Louis, please calm down."  
"They told me I wasn't good enough, that I needed to be skinnier, needed to lose my tummy. Then I'd be good enough. Not perfect, nowhere near it, but good enough. Good enough to stay."  
"Who said this?"  
"Who do you think?"  
"Fucking hell."  
"Why are you even here Harry? Are you pitying me? If you're just because you feel bad for me, leave, go, right now. I don't want your pity."  
"No, Lou, you know why I'm here. I'm here because I'm in love with you. Because I've finally found someone who's everything I'm not. Someone who fits into my life. I'm here because I love you."  
"Stop lying! Why would you love me?! I'm fat, I'm worthless, I can't even dance! Why would you want to be here?! Just go Harry."  
"What?"  
"Go. Leave me alone, don't talk to me again."  
"That's not what you really want."  
"Go."  
"I love you Lou."

 

The next day was awkward at best. Louis' dancing was completely off, so much to the point he was pulled into the office again.  
"You're really pushing my buttons here Tomlinson. You were chosen out of thousands to be part of our academy, you have to take it seriously. I'm happy to see you've lost your fat, but your dancing needs to improve so much I'm not sure it's fair to keep you here."  
"No, please. I had a rough night, I promise I'll improve tomorrow. I didn't have time to practise, please just give me one more chance."  
"You're on thin ice Tomlinson. Go home, and practise. When you come in tomorrow I'll assess you again."  
"Thank you so much, I promise I won't disappoint you."  
"Good, you have the rest of the day off."  
Louis spent the entire night practising, eventually falling asleep on the sofa, ignoring the missed calls and numerous texts from Harry.

 

The next day Harry tried to catch Louis' eye, but Louis was having none of it. He ignored Harry just as much as the day before and earned a smile from the instructor. He left the studios at 7, later than everyone else, partly to continue practising, partly to avoid Harry.   
"Louis."  
"Shit, Harry you can't just jump out at me like that."  
"Louis, stop."  
"I'm going home."  
"Fucking hell Louis, just listen to me for a moment."  
"What do you want Harry? I don't need your pity or your help, I'm perfectly fine on my own."  
"I want to tell you that I'm not pitying you Louis! I'm in love with you, whether you believe me or not is a different matter, but I am. You can't make me leave you alone because god I don't know what I'm supposed to do without you. Please Louis, just let me back in."  
"Harry-"  
"Don't say no, please, just give me a chance."  
"I wasn't going to say no. I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out for dinner."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> Kudoers and commenters get internet cookies.


End file.
